The first snowflakes have fallen on campus, and the air is getting cool, crisp and quite dry. To soothe your winter blues and settle your seasonally sore throat, the culture staff is recommending hot bevs.
Matcha — Mimi Nusser
If, like me, you don’t find fall drinks oversaturated with sugar and pumpkin spice appealing, matcha is your best option.
A hot matcha latte with vanilla syrup and oat milk never fails to satisfy my craving for caffeine. Its earthy bitterness balances with the syrup, making it not as overwhelmingly sweet as your typical fall latte.
This beverage channels the cozy, relaxing vibes of fall with its low caffeine levels and calming ingredient, L-theanine. The sweet, foamy milk fuses into the refreshing green tea, making each sip delectable.
Although it may take a few tries for you to like it, as it did for me, soon you will become hooked.
The bitter truth is that scoring a matcha on campus costs close to six bucks. Although it’s worth every penny, whipping up a matcha from your dorm is an affordable alternative.
Sipping on this vibrant green drink is the perfect intermission between class and homework, as it gives me just the jolt I long for.
Hot Cocoa — Peyton Paquette
As a staple in almost every single household pantry across the country, this delicious chocolate drink needs little introduction.
With Christmas around the corner, this hot beverage is one you need to bring back in the mix for those cold winter days.
Not only is it delicious, and a classic cold day drink, the types of toppings you can use to customize it are unmatched.
Whether you’re a marshmallow and chocolate sauce, or a whipped cream and cinnamon type of cocoa consumer, hot cocoa goes down in history as one of society’s favorite hot drinks for those cold days.
Emily Eisenman — Vanilla Chai Latte
Nothing screams “cozy fall vibes” more than a hot bev, and if you ask me, you can never go wrong with a vanilla chai.
Better than a normal chai, a vanilla chai latte is the perfect blend of spices and sweetness. I’m not even sure what spices are in chai, but I know they are delicious. Make your latte with a chai K-Cup, use a tea bag or even create your own chai spice mix.
All I know is that sometimes the Grundle has vanilla syrup and it makes for the perfect vanilla chai latte.
Drink it in the morning and get the caffeine boost needed to make it through your 8:30 a.m. or at night by the fireplace as you’re trying to grind out that assignment due at 11:59 p.m. It’s always the right time for a vanilla chai latte.
If you’re not a DIY drink maker, I recommend August First for the perfect blend of sweet and spicy. If you’re willing to splurge, all I can say is to go to Black Cap.
Tea — Maya Surrenti
If this semester has made me an advocate for anything, it’s tea.
I am addicted to hot beverages, but I can’t drink hot chocolate and coffee at all hours of the day. The caffeine and sugar would cause me to vibrate out of my skin.
When I want a hot beverage before bed I brew up some chamomile, which naturally lowers cortisol levels. Ginger tea aids digestion—essential when you frequent the Grundle three times a day—and helps keep away cold symptoms. I like to add honey too whenever I have a sore throat.
The dining halls usually have a stock of chai tea, peppermint, chamomile and green tea, so you don’t even need to have tea or a way to boil water in your dorm room.
There are all sorts of flavors of tea out there. Once you start experimenting, a whole new world of hot beverages opens up.
Herbal tea — Carolyn Kelly
This hot drink is stress relief in a cup. The herbal properties are known to calm nerves that may be getting triggered by the approaching holidays and end of the semester.
When you blow in from the cold, the hot mug will warm your cold hands and the tea will warm you up from the inside out.
It is important to stay extra hydrated in this cold, dry weather, and herbal tea is the perfect alternative to water. You have a variety of flavors to explore, breathing the steam hydrates your airway and the herbs have a relaxing effect to ease your tension.
